This invention relates in general to covers and more particularly to a cover assembly for an open top truck body.
Grain is normally transported from the farm to elevators or mills in large trucks, the bodies of which have open tops to facilitate loading. Normally, these trucks traverse the grain fields alongside harvesting machines such as combines with the discharge chutes of the harvesting machines directed into the open tops of the truck bodies. While open tops are essential for loading, they are quite detrimental on the highway, since wind passing over the open top of a truck body will blow a substantial amount of the grain out of the truck body. Furthermore, rain can enter the truck body and destroy much of the grain. To avoid these problems, most operators of grain trucks place large tarpaulins over the open tops of their truck bodies.
The installation of a tarpaulin on a truck body, which can be as large as 8 feet by 24 feet, is not an easy task and indeed often demands the labor of several individuals. The task is particularly difficult on windy days which are not unusual in the major grain producing areas of North America. While removing a tarpaulin is not as difficult as installing one, it is still a time consuming task which may create problems at elevators where the trucks are unloaded.
Finally, even when the truck body is empty a tarpaulin is desirable since it streamlines the truck body and saves fuel while driving at highway speeds. However, tarpaulins are often not used in such instances, merely because they are so difficult to install.